How Shadow Demon Came To Be In Venger's Employ
by Kimmy Kenderkin
Summary: Just as the title says


Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and concepts owned by others. It is purely for entertainment and no money is being made. *sigh* No copyright infringement is intended. 

Author's Note: Special thanks go out to Steve Weber for his help with, and knowledge of, the game. My apologies to those who have already seen this in Darkhaven. For those who haven't, this idea is the result of a chat session in the old BeSeen's Tardos Keep when it was asked, "Hey, just how _did_ Venger get Shadow Demon to work for him anyway?" What follows is my answer. *G* 

How Shadow Demon Came To Be In Venger's Employ   
by Kimberly Kenderkin   


Long, long... okay, well at least still less than two decades ago, there was a room. A room bare but for the round table and the four chairs tucked in neatly around it. In the center of the table was a thin, rectangular box. 

It's been said that this was a room of neutrality situated on a demi-plane that was reachable from every world by those who knew how to find it. 

Or upon receiving an invitation, as the one who now arrived had. 

The first to appear stepped out of the bright nimbus of power which had transported him. He was a tall individual, striding confidently in the red and dark grey battle-robe favored by some warrior-wizards and sorcerers of that fashion period. His black wings draped impressively around his broad shoulders like a cloak as he walked toward the table. Looking at his pale-bluish face, it would be untrue to assume that he was undead, although it wouldn't exactly be wrong either. A predatory smile curled his lips, revealing fangs as he anticipated the game. 

Before he reached the chairs, a bright swirling portal manifested itself on the wall and a second player emerged. Dressed in a tight-fitting blue outfit which showed off his muscular physique and was decorated with bone motif armor, he brandished a staff topped with a ram skull. To say he was also undead would not be far from the truth. He grinned at the first, though he really didn't have much choice. 

"I see we're early," the King of Infinitia said as he glanced at the table. "You haven't touched the-" 

"No," the first said in a deep, somewhat melodious voice before the other could finish, shaking his single-horned helmeted head. "Nor will you, Skeletor, until all have arrived." 

"Of _course_ not. I wouldn't _dream_ of it," Skeletor said smoothly, walking towards the table. "It's been a while, Venger. How have things been going?" 

The Evil Overlord of the Realm heaved a big sigh. "Things could be better." 

Skeletor nodded in understanding, giving a quick sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "I know what you mean." His becowled skull-face showed signs of depression. "Hopefully this game will cheer us up a bit!" 

Just then a second portal formed slowly next to them. They could see beyond the opening into what seemed to be a tomb. In the center of the tomb, before an open, upright sarcophagus, was a cauldron of immense size. An emaciated figure wrapped almost completely in strips of cloth and covered in a crimson robe shuffled through the portal. To say he was undead would be just about the truth. 

Venger arched a brow at the figure's appearance. Skeletor raised a gloved hand to his teeth. They both seemed a bit embarrassed. 

"Uh, you might want to change before the game," Skeletor suggested, coughing slightly. 

"Hmm?" The figure looked down at himself and then nodded. "Oh. Er, excuse me." 

He turned back towards the still open portal and raised his hands. The cauldron began to glow as the contents shot up in the air at the sound of his rough voice. "Ancient Spirits of Evil, transform this decayed form to Mumm-Ra the Ever Living!!" 

The air in the room became chill and a strong wind rushed through the portal along with the power. It surrounded and changed the figure of Mumm-Ra. He was now dressed in an outfit that showed off as much muscle as Skeletor, wearing a short Egyptian-style loin covering and a flowing crimson cape. There was a medallion tattoo on his chest bearing an infinity symbol of entwined snakes. A few remnants of tattered winding cloth flowed around him as he stepped forward. His eyes shone red beneath his snake adorned helmet. 

Skeletor greeted the new arrival now that he was suitably dressed. "Mumm-Ra! Great to see a fellow evil-doer! It feels like ages since the last time we all gathered." 

"Tell me about it," Mumm-Ra said in his rough, unused to being used, voice. "But then, it always feels like ages since I get out and about." 

They all laughed at this, enjoying the joke. Even Venger. 

"Sorry about the entrance, I was running late. It looks like we're almost all here," Mumm-Ra observed looking at the four chairs. 

"Almost," agreed Venger. "Do we know who will claim the last seat?" 

The other two shook their heads. 

They did not have long to wait before the fourth player appeared. He came in with a ~Poof!~ of thick black smoke accompanied by a crack of sulfurous yellow lightning. 

"I'm heeeerrrreeee," a nasally voice cackled out. 

Venger and Mumm-Ra rolled their eyes when they saw who it was. Skeletor would have done the same if he had eyes to do so. Instead, he continued to grin as he sized up the competition. 

The newcomer grinned back, his bushy eyebrows contrasting starkly with the bald top of his head. A black, patched wizard's robe covered his scrawny form. To say he was undead like the others would just be plain wrong. 

"I'm so-" he began but cut off when he tripped over a ginger colored tabby cat cowering near his feet. "Will You Get Out Of My Way, Azrael!!!" 

"Meorrrrwwww!" Azrael cried as she was kicked. 

"Gargamel," Mumm-Ra greeted, slight contempt in his deep voice. 

"Mumm-Ra! How good to see you again. And you both as well," he raised his hands to include Skeletor and Venger. "Well, it looks like we're all here. Shall we take our sea-" 

Gargamel was again cut off, but this time it was due to a strange humming within the room. The noise grew louder and finally, on the other side of the table between two of the chairs, something began to materialize. The four looked at each other, puzzled as to who this could be. None of them had seen this type of arrival before, and there were only four chairs. 

The object began to solidify, taking the form of a large chair or throne. When the arrival was complete, a large,   
high-backed chair was indeed placed at the table. Seated in it was a mysterious fifth player and his rather startled fat, gray cat. Facing at the back of the chair with its cat-headed logo, the others stared at it across the table. The only part of the new arrival seen was a metal gauntleted hand which was adorned by a gold spiked bracelet and a ring. It rested on the arm of the chair. 

"What is the meaning of this intrusion," Venger growled out. 

The chair suddenly swiveled around, and the gauntleted hand raised up in placation. "Forgive me for being late. I had some... business to attend to beforehand," said the player in a raspy voice that was deeper than Venger's and rougher than Mumm-Ra's. 

"And just who might you be?" Skeletor inquired. 

"In what manner was it that you arrived? Mumm-Ra asked. 

He answered, "I am Dr. Claw. I arrived through an ingenious invention one of my scientists worked on. A machine to transport one through time and dimension. 

"A machine?" Venger asked warily. 

"Why didn't you just use magic?" Skeletor asked, his high voice full of suspicion. 

"I am not a wizard. I am a genius and use the magic of invention rather than paltry parlour tricks." 

"He's not even a wizard??" Gargamel shouted in disbelief and outrage. "And we're supposed to believe he has an invitation???" 

Dr. Claw made a movement as if reaching for something. "I believe I have my invitation right here." With a click and a whir, the invitation was skewered and delivered for proof on a mini-harpoon which embedded itself in the table before Gargamel. 

Gargamel was taken aback and waved his arms up at the sudden fright. "Oh me! I, I, I daresay that's it alright!" 

"My, what an interesting weapon," Skeletor purred. 

"Yes, it is rather intriguing," Gargamel said as he recovered from his fright and looked the whole weapon over more carefully. "Just the thing for shish ke-babbing some certain blue pests!" 

"Meeyearh!" Azrael agreed. 

"I devised this little instrument myself," Dr.Claw told them, sounding more than a bit proud. 

Mumm-Ra took the invitation and read it over. "It's true. It's the invitation," he told the others. He looked at Dr. Claw and said by way of explanation, "Only four chairs are here, and we've had trouble with some of the goody-goodies trying to sneak in and ruin the whole thing." 

Dr. Claw nodded and said, "Ah, yes. I see. I let it be known ahead of time that I would provide my own seat for the game," he gestured to it with his gauntleted hand. 

"Now that we are all here, seeing as there is no room left at the table, shall we begin?" Venger asked. 

The others took a seat. Venger sat to the left of Dr. Claw with Skeletor on his right. Mumm-Ra sat between Skeletor and Gargamel, who was trying to keep Azrael from inspecting the other fat feline. 

"Azrael! Will you cut that out!" Gargamel shouted, dumping his cat onto the floor. 

"Meeowr!" Azrael said sharply, glaring at the crotchety old wizard. 

At the same time Dr. Claw yelled at his own cat. "Mad Cat! Do not be so familiar with the familiar." He chuckled dryly at his own joke. Mad Cat did too, with a hissing, "Hee-hee-hee-heeee!" The others didn't join in. 

"Good thing I decided against bringing Mumm-Mutt along," Mumm-Ra commented. 

Dr. Claw gestured to the rectangular box in the center of the table. "What are we waiting for? Shall we start?" 

"In a moment," Skeletor said. 

They all sat looking at the box. 

"I don't understand," Dr. Claw said. 

"You will," Gargamel told him. 

Suddenly, the end of the box began to open and 52 cards slipped out one by one, shuffled around in mid-air, and then formed a neat pile in front of Mumm-Ra. 

"We merely needed to see who would be the dealer this night," Venger explained. 

"Looks like it's me, boys!" Mumm-Ra said rubbing his clawed hands together before picking up the deck. 

"Is this more of your sissy wizardry at work?" Dr.Claw asked. "I still don't see why you all persist with such nonsense when there are worlds to be conquered with intrigue and inventions. We could've used my portable mini card shuffler instead of watching an air show," he said, shrugging as his hand seemed to brush magic aside. 

The other four looked at Dr. Claw for a silent moment and then shared a quick but meaningful glance between themselves. 

Mumm-Ra held the deck of cards in his hands and cleared his throat. "Let's begin. Now to prove we still got'em, we're going to start off with a rather ballsy one. The game is Aces High, 50 Gold Ante, with two betting rounds," Mumm-Ra said as he dealt each player three cards. He paused a moment to look at his own hand and then placed them face down again. Turning to Gargamel, he asked, "What's your bet?" 

Gargamel looked at his cards and threw down 50 gold pieces in the center of the table. "50 gold." 

Mumm-Ra looked at Dr.Claw who petted Mad Cat thoughtfully. "I see your 50 and will raise it by 50," he said throwing 100 gold on the table. 

Venger fanned his cards briefly and then shut them behind the first. He nodded and threw in 100 gold. "I'm in." 

"I'm in, too," Skeletor said, adding his own coins to the growing pile. 

"As am I," Mumm-Ra told them, placing his bet with the others and then turned back towards Gargamel. 

"I'll see the 100," he said and motioned to the deck. 

Mumm-Ra slid a card towards Gargamel who exchanged a card for the new one. Dr. Claw exchanged a card from Mumm-Ra as well. He picked it up and added it to his other cards. Venger also took a new card, Skeletor declined and Mumm-Ra announced, "Dealer takes a card." 

Mumm-Ra glanced at Gargamel who nodded and said, "Okay, I think we'll raise this to 200 pieces. Balls to the wall!" he cackled. 

It was Dr. Claw's turn now. If you looked carefully, you'd swear his gauntleted hand shifted oh-so slightly as if he were uncomfortable. But not to be outdone by bunch of stupid magic users, he flipped 200 pieces onto the pile. "I'm in," he said. 

"I'm in as well," Venger said as he nonchalantly magicked two 100 pieces onto the pile with a wave of his finger. The corners of his mouth twitched but he didn't look at Dr. Claw's reaction. 

Skeletor muffled a snicker and slid in 200 gold pieces in. "Me too." 

Mumm-Ra then placed his own 200 pieces down. "Dealer calls it. Aces high, wins." He twitched his fingers over the tops of the cards. "What have you got, Gargamel?" 

Gargamel drummed his fingers against the cards almost nervously and then turned them over to reveal a Two, a Seven, and an Ace. "Well!" he cackled. "Look at that! It seems I win! Unless any of you can beat this!" 

Dr.Claw's hand clenched the cards a bit tight and then he flipped them over. 

Mumm-Ra announced, "A Deuce and two Jacks. Hmm, what have you got Venger?" 

Venger tapped his cards once and smoothly turned his cards over, fanning them out for all to see. "It seems I also have an Ace, along with a Queen, and a Jack." 

Skeletor laughed, slapping his cards once on the table and then face-up. "Well, I'll be! I have an Ace, too! And a pair of Fours." 

"Dealer has a Two, an Ace, and Queen. Guess it's just a lucky game for wizards, eh?" he said, smirking. 

Dr. Claw's hand curled into a fist and he banged it down on the arm of the chair, consequently sending Mad Cat yowling up into the air in fright. 

"This is an outrage!" he yelled. "You aren't playing fair! You all used your magic and cheated!" 

"Well, of _course_ we _cheated!"_ Skeletor explained in mock mollification. "We're villains," he shrugged. 

Venger, Mumm-Ra, and Gargamel all shrugged too, looking as innocent as villains could. 

Dr. Claw pulled out a Transmogrifying Electric-Shockwave Ray Gun and prepared to shoot them in his rage. 

Four sets of hands were raised against him to deflect the ray. Dr. Claw was then simultaneously zapped, blasted, shocked, and stunned by the four wizards, but not before he hit the red Return Button on his chair. He was already insubstantial as the magic went through him and he, his chair, and Mad Cat, shot up into the air disappearing as he screamed, "You haven't heard the last of this!" 

The four wizards were still chuckling as they settled back down. 

"I guess that's what you get when you try to trash wizards, eh!" Gargamel wheezed in between cackles. "This Stun Ring sure came in handy!" 

Venger cracked up harder and barely managed to get out, "Did you see his face when Skeletor said we _all_ cheated?" 

They laughed uproariously at this and were still wearing silly grins after they had divided the winnings evenly. 

Mumm-Ra gathered up the cards. When they had quieted down, he said, "All right boys, let's get down to business." He grinned and continued, "The game tonight is Seven Card Stud. One-Eyed Jacks, Man with the Axe, Pair of Sevens Take All, Pair of Aces Kills. 100 Gold Ante." He dealt two cards face down and one card face up to each player and settled down to make some serious winnings. 

They played round after round, each doing well, the winners adding to the small piles beside them. Though, if the walls could speak, they'd probably be saying "OWWWW!!! %*!@$#@#%*!!" as parts of it still smoked and glowed and congealed in melted drips, giving testament to the tempers of the losers. 

As they played each round, they razzed each other in good humor and talked shop. 

"So how goes things on Third Earth, Mumm-Ra?" Skeletor asked. 

A grimace formed on his decayed lips as Mumm-Ra dealt out each new card and answered shortly, "They're going." 

"I take it not well then," Venger said. 

"NO. Not well at all," Mumm-Ra answered, his shoulders sagging. "And the thing that gets me is those blasted ThunderCats are the ones who disturbed _me_ and _my_ rest! _They're_ the intruders on the world! So there I am, generously letting them know how things stand on Third Earth, and suddenly _I'm_ the bad guy!" 

"Well, you are, aren't you?" Gargamel asked, placing his bet. 

"Yeah, but that's beside the point," Mumm-Ra told him. 

"I can relate to that," Venger said. "There I was, minding my own business, conquering the Realm as I saw fit and suddenly, all my plans are sabotaged by the old man and six brats, who just want to go home." 

"Ha! Well at least they _want_ to leave!" Mumm-Ra said. 

"Why is it again that you just don't let them go?" Skeletor asked. 

"Because their Weapons of Power are the key to my defeating Tiamat, the Dragon Queen," Venger explained. "She is all that stands in my way of complete mastery of the Realm. I can't take the chance that the young fools will take the weapons with them if they leave." 

The other villains nodded. 

After a moment, Venger added petulantly, "Besides... I get a bit of satisfaction from thwarting their attempts to get back. They mess with plans, I mess with theirs." 

The others agreed whole black-heartedly on this sense of justice and grunted their approval. 

"How's things your end, Skeletor?" Venger asked, looking at his cards and seeing the bet. 

"Well, not quite as good as I'd like," he admitted. He shook his cowled head. "Is it so wrong to merely want to get into Castle Greyskull, a place obviously _made_ for me, and rule over a second world? I'm just trying to get with the times after all. Expansion is where it's at!" 

"We're just misunderstood, is all," Gargamel said adding more gold to the pot, as his turn came round again. "It can be such an annoyance sometimes." 

"Speaking of annoyance," Mumm-Ra interjected, "as if those BlunderCats weren't enough, they have this annoying, sniveling sidekick with them. Some kind of cat-lizard I think. It sniffs or snarfs a lot or something." 

"Mmm, those wretches have a baby unicorn that tags along with them. They must think it's cute," Venger said with a shudder of revulsion. "How vexing." 

"Yeah, that Chippendale barbarian, He-Man has an irritating, no-faced, something or other that's _always_ getting in the way of things!" Skeletor waved his hands in frustration. "I think it's an Orkon." 

"Don't even mention the word Orc," Venger said, holding a hand up as if to stop the word. "If it's anything like my Orc army, then I can sympathize! They can't seem to hold onto anything!" He sighed. "They're stupid, but at least they work cheap," Venger stated. 

"The Mutants that work for me are the same way. They are useful but more often than not, they manage to botch things up," Mumm-Ra said. 

"Well, if you think _that's_ bad, My henchmen are bumbling idiots! They can't seem to do anything right! EVER!!!" Skeletor shook both fists in the air. He then sighed and shrugged and saw the current bet. "But they're loyal. Ehh, what are you going to do? One cannot conquer a world alone." 

"You don't work with an army, do you, Gargamel?" Venger asked. 

"Me? Oh no, no. I don't want to have to deal with the bother of keeping track of them! Much easier not to have to worry about that sort of stuff. Azrael here is more than enough." 

"Meeyearh!" Azrael agreed. 

"The Smurfs don't have any annoying sidekicks for you to deal with?" Skeletor asked. 

"Sidekicks?!? Good lord no! You all only have to deal with one fool," Gargamel answered, "or at the most six! Try dealing with about one hundred of the miserable sneaky creatures!" 

"Just what _are_ you going to do with them, Gargamel, should you ever catch them?" Mumm-Ra asked and then added, "Dealer sees the bet." 

The other two villains looked on curiously, waiting for the answer. 

"Well, there's all kinds of uses for them. You can turn them into gold, sell them for gold, make them into a stew..." He petted Azrael and continued, "Mostly, it's for research purposes though." 

"Research?" Skeletor asked, puzzled. 

"Well, of course," Gargamel told him. "I'm writing a book, you know. It's entitled '_101 Things To Do With A Smurf**'.**_It'll be filled with recipes for dinners, snacks, spells, alchemy. You know, that sort of thing. It ought to be a best seller!" 

The other villains looked bemused. 

Mumm-Ra reminded them, "Okay, this is the last betting round for this game." 

They each made their bets, added their gold and got ready to see who would win the current round. 

As they played on through the night, the game really began to get interesting as magical items the equivalent of the gold were tossed into the pot. But it was on the last game of the night, as each was determined to win, or win back, the most interesting magical items that things began to get tense.... 

Mumm-Ra had dealt and the opening bet had been huge. Having gone five times around already, all eyes were filled with greed as they stared from their hands to the pot. 

Gargamel had looked at his cards and was trying to cover the bet. Having tossed in his Stun Ring, he still needed to add in gold to meet it. "I know I've got more here somewhere. Um..." Gargamel rifled through his pockets and came out with more gold. "Ah, here we go." He tossed it in. "I..." 

"Wait! Just what is that?" Skeletor asked as he picked up one of the gold pieces. "It looks like a tiny shoe." 

"Yes, well..." Gargamel began uncomfortably. "It's gold, isn't it?!!" 

Skeletor nodded and tossed it back in. 

Mumm-Ra couldn't resist adding, "It's quite... smurfy." 

The others chuckled while Gargamel scowled and muttered under his breath. 

Mumm-Ra turned to Venger. After a moment, he said, "Your play Venger. 

Venger nodded but was deep in thought over how to play his hand. 

After a bit, Mumm-Ra began to get impatient. "Hurry it up, Venger. We haven't got all night!" 

Venger didn't look up from his cards as he said, "Keep your shirt on." Venger's red eyes flicked up to Mumm-Ra. "Oops. Too late I see." 

"Just what's up with those outfits of yours anyway?" Gargamel asked Mumm-Ra and Skeletor derisively, still riled up after Mumm-Ra's last comment. 

Skeletor answered, "There's nothing wrong with showing off what you've got! Just because _you_ don't have anything..." he taunted. 

Gargamel hmphed crankily and pointed towards Venger. "Well, at least _we're_ dressed!" he responded. 

"DRESSed is right!" Mumm-Ra sneered. 

Venger and Gargamel yelled together in frustration, "It's a ROBE!" 

"Ha!" Skeletor scoffed, looking at Mumm-Ra. "They call them Robes! What's _your_ excuse, Skirt Boy?" 

Mumm-Ra yelled angrily, "I'll have you know this was the _height_ of fashion back in the days when I ruled over First Earth! Besides, _you_ try ruling in a desert and see what _you_ wear!" 

Skeletor snickered. 

"Enough!" Mumm-Ra shouted. "Venger, play!" 

Venger nodded, having made his decision and added his Ring of the Mind to the pot. As he did so, he casually asked Skeletor, "So just where _do_ you buy your tights?" 

"Oh! That's _it!"_ roared Skeletor. He stood up abruptly grabbing his staff and pointed it at Venger who was already standing, his hands glowing with unleashed magic and his wings outspread. Evil glinted in their stares as they prepared to fight. 

Mumm-Ra took a step back from the table as Gargamel ducked beneath it muttering, "Oh my!" as they watched. 

Then, before the fight took place, their shoulders each began to shake with silent laughter until they laughed out loud. Venger and Skeletor both knew they wanted what the other had to offer to the pot more than fighting to see what the outcome would be. 

As they sat back down, Skeletor quickly pointed his staff at Venger and said, "Blast!" 

"Zap! Zap!" Venger managed to say through his laughter, raising both hands toward Skeletor. 

The tense moment over, they settled back down to play. Skeletor looked at his cards and tossed in an impressive diamond. Mumm-Ra announced his bet and placed a bag full of sleep potion along with some gold to finish it off. He then dealt out the sixth round of new cards and turned back to Gargamel. 

Gargamel looked at his hand and considered his options. As he did, he said thoughtfully, "You know, maybe we ought to have a look in _'Dressed To Kill,'_ you know, that villains' fashion catalogue when it comes out this month. I mean, look at us! We could all use a make-over. And it would just be like those "heroes" to spread rumors about us all being pansies by judging us on our attire." 

The villains all sat in uncomfortable silence for a bit as they mulled it over. Then each came to the same conclusion; instead of wasting time and money updating their wardrobes, they'd simply blast to bits the first "hero" that commented on their outfit. 

With a mental shake of his head, Mumm-Ra brought things back to the game. "What's your play Gargamel? Do you even have anything left of worth to bet?" 

Gargamel glared at Mumm-Ra and went through his pockets again, desperately searching for something to cover the bet. "Well... of course... I must have uh, I had it right... now where'd it go?" 

As his fingers frantically rummaged through his robe, his thumb brushed up against something. "Ah-Ha!" He pulled out a blue glass potion vial and gingerly placed it on the table. After a long moment of heavy silence, he asked uncertainly, "Will this do?" 

None of the villains spoke, their eyes glued to what shifted inside the glass. Unable to find their voices, they each managed to nod, trying not to seem too eager. 

"Good, good! It's settled then!" and he quickly slid the vial towards the pile. 

Gargamel leaned over to Azrael and whispered, "We won't tell them that this was an accident then, eh Azrael?" They both laughed quietly. "Hmph. I still don't know how that spell for capturing a Smurf's shadow went awry," he said staring at the trapped Shadow Demon in the vial. 

Venger softly murmured, "By the Golden Grimoire..." He looked at his cards and tried to think what he could add that would equal the bottled Shadow Servant. Though he was sure Gargamel didn't know its worth, he knew the others recognized its potential. He looked at his hand once more, and then with a sigh, Venger wrote a note for an IOU. "I see your Shadow Demon and add my Nightmare steed," he said. 

Skeletor woke from his evil reverie of his plans on what he'd do with such a servant and looked at his own cards. Nodding to himself, he followed Venger's lead and also wrote out an IOU. He said, "I'm in. This is for Panthor." 

Mumm-Ra yelled, "What??? Panthro?!? How did you manage to-" 

Skeletor cut him off before the Third Earth villain could work himself up. "No, no, no! Panthor. PanTHOR! You know, the large purple battlecat I ride sometimes." 

"Oh," Mumm-Ra said. "I thought you said something else." He ahemmed a bit and then added the Sword of Plundarr to the colossal pile. He dealt out the seventh and last round of cards face down and waited to see how it would determine the winner. He peeked at his own card. 

Suddenly he started to shake. "No... NO!!! It Can't BE!!!!" He stood up and dropped his last card so that everyone could see that he now had a pair of Aces. 

Skeletor said, "Pair of Aces kills. He's out." 

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!" Mumm-Ra screamed and commenced magically venting his frustration on what was left of the walls. 

After a moment, he began to calm down, but only a bit as he returned to his duty as dealer. Mumm-Ra gathered the shreds of his control and with a deep sigh, said, "I call. Gargamel?" 

Gargamel turned his card over to reveal a Jack of Spades to add to his two pairs of Five's and Ten's. "Ha! My one-eyed Jack makes this a full house! Tens over Fives! Beat that!" Gargamel announced. 

Venger unclasped his folded hands and deftly turned his last card over to reveal his second Seven to make his hand a pair of Twos, a Queen of Hearts and a winning pair of Sevens. 

"Pair of Sevens take all," he said beginning to grin. 

Skeletor saw Venger's hand and threw his cards down on the table, cursing a streak as blue as his outfit. He was joined by Gargamel who, of course, cursed a streak as blue as a- 

"Yes!" Venger interrupted, pulling his fist down towards him as he grabbed victory now that he knew Skeletor couldn't beat him. He couldn't stop himself from gloating, pointing at the others saying, "Losers!" and dancing a bit in his chair. After a moment, Venger toned it down and said, "Sorry guys. Better luck next time." He would have sounded more convincing if he hadn't been grinning wide enough to show complete fang. 

Gargamel grumbled, "Well, that's that. Guess it's time to call it a night. I need to work on more spells." He started to stand up from the table when Mumm-Ra banged on the table with his fist, stopping him. 

"Oh, what I wouldn't have done for that Shadow Demon!" He shook his head. "Mumm-Ra the Ever Living... killed by a pair of Aces!" He shook his head again. 

Gargamel looked a bit confused and asked, "Uh... just what's so special about that bottled shadow anyway?" 

The other wizards stared incredulously at Gargamel. 

"What?" he shrugged. 

"You'd better keep out of those smurfberries," Mumm-Ra laughed. He turned to the others. "This old geezer doesn't even know its worth!" 

Gargamel had had about enough of Mumm-Ra's smurfing, and yelled, "Old Geezer??? Look Who's Calling Who _OLD,_ Mummy's Boy!" He reached over and grabbed a magic mirror off the winnings pile and shoved it in Mumm-Ra's face. 

Not being able to withstand the horror of his own reflection, Mumm-Ra shied away from the mirror and howled, "ARRRGGGH!" as he reverted back into his mummified form and needed to restore his strength. The portal leading back to his pyramid opened and he grabbed his winnings and flew through it shouting, "You will pay for this indignity at the next poker game, Gargamel! I swear it!" 

Gargamel gingerly put the mirror back on the table for Venger. "Oops, did I do that?" he asked tenatively. 

Venger and Skeletor looked at him. 

"That was a low blow, Gargamel," Skeletor said. 

"Even for a villain," Venger agreed. 

Gargamel shrugged. "Aw, he had it coming, teasing me with all that nasty smurfiness. And it was time to go anyway." He got his spell ready, picked up Azrael and what was left of his winnings, and waved goodbye. "See you gambling fellas next game." 

Gargamel pursed his lips and was about to start whistling when Venger glared at him and pointed. "Don't you _dare!"_

At the same time, Skeletor yelled, "Don't you even _start_ with that Gambler song!" 

"Huh? Oh. Sorry," he apologized, grinning sheepishly. He threw down the powder and ~Poofed!~ out of the room the same way he came, calling, "Bye!" 

"Last time he did that, I had that cursed song stuck in my head for a week!" Venger grumbled. He turned to the table and gathered his winnings, putting them in a Bag of Holding. 

"Better than that Smurf song I suppose. Nice win there, V," Skeletor congratulated him. "That was some game." 

"Thanks, " Venger said. 

"You mind?" Skeletor asked, pointing to the bottled Shadow Demon. 

"Go ahead," Venger said as he continued to place things in the bag. 

Skeletor picked up the blue vial and peered in at the Shadow Demon. He sighed. He then asked, "I don't supposed you'd consider-" 

"No," Venger said, stopping the favor Skeletor had been about to ask. 

"Ah well. Can't blame a guy for trying," he said and sighed once again with regret. He handed the bottle to Venger. 

Venger couldn't help but smile and placed the bottle before him, saving it to pack last. He reached into the bag and pulled out a piece of paper. "Since we're allies in evil and all... well, here. Go on. Take it," he said. 

Skeletor took the piece of paper and saw that it was his IOU for his battlecat. "Thanks Venger. That's mighty big of you." He pocketed the note and took up his staff and walked to where his portal shimmered, waiting for him. "Well, see you at the next game, Venger. Good luck against those brats and that little bald drip." 

"Farewell, Skeletor. I hope you have better luck getting into Greyskull and showing that muscle-bound gigolo a thing or two." 

They both grinned, waved bye, and then Skeletor went through the portal. 

After a second, he poked his skull-head back through. 

"Um V, just in case you change your mind about the Shadow Demon and-" 

"No," Venger said. 

"Okay, okay. That's what I thought," Skeletor said went back through, closing the portal behind him.   
  
Venger picked up the bottle and peered in at the Shadow Servant. A delighted, evil smile crossed his lips as he spoke, "I definitely have plans for you, my Shadow Demon. You will make a most useful spy." 

He then gathered his power around him and transported himself and his winnings back to the Realm to put his new plan into action. 

And as the last player left , 52 cards returned to their box and waited patiently for the next game to begin while the room set itself to rights... 

* * * 


End file.
